I've been to salty dozens of times, and it is clear that things are going downhill. This happened in the middle of the incidents you'll read later on, but this has to be said up front. There was a curly beard hair in my pasta salad. I mentioned it to the waitress and she said "okay" and threw it away after checking for it in the back. She asked me if I wanted anything else and I asked for my food comped because I was grossed out. She then laughed in my face and said okay again like I'M the idiot. Their food is always delicious, the ambiance is fun, it's undoubtedly a Columbia staple. With people graduating comes a new wait staff of course. But it's obvious, hiring standards have loosened. I've never been treated so poorly as i was during my latest visit. The overweight server with dark hair down to her butt is the rudest person I've ever met. She didn't give us waters, napkins, or straws until we explicitly asked her. Every time she dropped something off, she speed walked away so quickly that i couldn't even get a word out. We got the buffalo chicken dip which tasted good, but there was only a half basket of chips provided so there was a lot of dip left over. She didn't say anything about this and just threw it away. We also ordered a Caesar wrap with fries and a side of ranch, and when the food came out, before I could even realize the ranch was missing, she was gone and wouldn't return for 5 minutes. Once we got her attention to ask for the ranch a second time, she took the time to take another tables drink order, bring them napkins, and bring their drinks to them before bringing our ranch. As mentioned, Salty continues to be a Columbia staple. However, it will no longer be a staple for us, as I don't see the situation getting fixed unless they do a full house sweep. Management doesn't get notified of hair, bartenders cuss people out over the microphones, the serving staff hired right now clearly doesn't have prior serving experience. The servers have the customer service of someone who works at Taco Bell. I truly think the only way I could have gotten worse service today, is if she physically kicked my a**. read more

I absolutely love Salty Nut! It's one of my favorite bars in Columbia, and to be honest, one of my favorite bars that I've ever been to. Even though you only get a view of the parking lot, it kind of feels like you're at the beach when you go there. In addition, their food is pretty good relative to the divey feel of the bar, and I'm a huge fan of their French fries, which are some of the best I've ever had. They have a great selection of beers on draft, to include the most popular local craft beers, a nice selection of IPAs, and the traditional big-name beers. One of my favorite things about Salty Nut is how they have an indoor and outdoor bar, both of which are excellent. I also love the staff members at Salty Nut, and I've never once had a bad experience with them. I won't name names, but they have one particular bartender who is, in my opinion, one of the best bartenders I've ever met. All-in-all, I absolutely love Salty Nut, would recommend it to anybody, and unless something drastic occurs, will continue to come here for years to come! read more

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Literally met one of the best people I've encountered since coming down to South Carolina as my server (RENEE IS MY EVERYTHING) to the point where I was invited to her birthday hahhaa. The drinks are strong, the chicken Caesar wrap schlapttt, THE SPICY CHIPS ARE TO DIE FOR, and the nuts are.. well? salty. ‍ Shoutout to all the staff at the salty nut for taking me in and making me feel like I have somebody to count on. This is now one of my go-to spots! read more

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Very college, chill vibes Don't go here if you need a lot to have a good time. Wrap around porch/ patio was fun. Staff was not the most helpful. High Noon Pineapple is available, others had a pitcher of beer and a Crown and Coke. Fireball was cold-ish read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - Entry - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Great local place to grab a burger and a beer nothing fancy, but the food is very good. We wanted to grab something to eat have a beer, relax and it fit all of the boxes. Generally, you will find a lot of local college students there so it can be noisy. Parking can be a challenge but it's worth it. read more

We came here on the recommendation from our hotel (cutest hotel ever, Graduate by Hilton) for a quick bite to eat after arriving in town. Thailer was our friendly server and she helped answer our questions as we decided what to order. She also brought us peanuts in the shell to enjoy at the table. There were plenty of TVs playing Monday night football games, and a bunch of happy customers enjoying cold beer and food from the grill. I don't think you could go wrong in here for a casual neighborhood joint - nothing fancy, just a fun watering hole. We each ordered a different type of burger and a different type of side, and everything was good, but the sweet potato fries definitely stood out. They had a crispy outside and hot and tender inside with a light coating of sugar, but they were not too sweet just interesting and sooo good!! Easy parking and friendly service - I loved the Pernicious hazy IPA on draft that the bartender let me sample before ordering, too! read more

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I've only been during lunch. My friend loves the low-key, what you see is what you get atmosphere that Salty provides. I like the hand-cut fries. It's really a 5 Points bar and food spot. Nothing more, nothing less. They provide peanuts to snack on. The bar is located in the back. There's a patio for outdoor seating. Customer service is good. I've never had an issue.  The chicken philly is good. It's a decent size, and it's served on a hoagie roll with chopped chicken, cheese, onions, and peppers. They also have some type of chipotle mayo sauce they put on the philly. Again, I'm a big fan of hand-cut fries, so I can appreciate when they are served. My only gripe is that they don't give you enough fries. Otherwise, most of the time, they are great. Cooked well and fresh.  The drinks are made well. I've ordered basic drinks--nothing fancy--and they are good. If you want a low-key lunch experience, this is the spot. read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

College bar with food is the best description. Very casual, laid back friendly service. If you want cheap food and some drinks it's great.

Best vibes and bar food you can get in Columbia. Chicken bites and tenders, mini corn dogs, and cheeseburger wrap are my favorites.

college sports bar with old wooden etched tables and plastic cops for beer. plenty of tvs with the NFL games on and friendly crowd. plenty of people, plenty of beer. menu didn't inspire me to eat, but after a few rounds i'm sure the fries and sandwiches get the job done just fine. read more

Waited 25 min before anyone approached us. We got up and asked a waiter to bring us a menu. By 30 minutes we finally had our menus and ordered right away. They said our food was coming shortly, but then a half an hour later we were told that the computer in the back broke our order was never put in. Our food arrived over an hour afterbeing there. The chicken sandwich grilled was extremely small and my side of sweet potato fries very soggy. Would not recommend food or service at this establishment. Will never go again. read more

The Salty Nut Cafe on Greene Street in Columbia is a great place to go for delicious food and drinks in a cool and relaxed atmosphere. The staff here is very friendly and accommodating and makes sure that you have everything that you need. I have had a positive experience every time I have been here. read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - Salty Nut Cafe - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Customer service was lazy . The food was definitely cooked several hours before serving ! Will not be going back . Definitely not an " iconic " bar experience! read more

Fin at the Salty Nut was a great bouncer. He checked my second form and did an amazing job. Not only do he do a great job, but he looked so hot doing it. Would come back just to see fin read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - bouncer being great - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Salty nut is the best bar in Columbia. All bad reviews are people who came in expecting a normal dining experience. Its more or less a dive with food and always a good time read more

I dont think there is a more iconic place with USC grads in Columbia. With LIT pitches and their famous pimento cheese tots, Salty Nut is a staple. Great bar food and nightly specials that include a Trivia Night. Think Saint Elmo's but in Columbia read more

Great lunch spot. May be great after work hours as well, but I've only made it there for lunch. The server was friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu. Food came out in good time and was exactly as ordered. The cajun chicken salad my coworker ordered looked very good and i was told it was quite delicious. I ordered some lemon pepper wings and the chili cheesy tater tots and both were great. I highly recommend the cheesy tots. That is a must try item. read more

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Very okay with respect to food and drinks. I went on a weeknight so predictably slow. Server seemed to not really give an f, but oh well.

First time ever here, showed up at 9pm on a Monday sat at a table for almost ten minutes before a server came out and told a guy behind us the kitchen was closed..nobody ever acknowledged me or even cared to say anything. I probably won't even bother to come back. read more

This bar has such great vibes. Our server Rachel and the bartender Avery were so efficient and nice. Burger was awesome too.

This place had an electric college atmosphere. Highly recommended if you like hanging out as a college student. Doesn't seem to fit an older crowd dynamic. read more

We came on a Thursday for lunch and although the place was not that busy we spent over an hour on lunch. Kitchen seemed to be the holdup, our server kept us informed and suitably hydrated:-) Food was Ok not great. I had a pimento burger which would have been better without onions since they overwhelmed the cheese. Spouse had the chicken philly which is was again good not great. Overall satisfactory. read more

Service was absolute ass. I should've gone to my grandmas tailgate. Y'all trash. Terrible server named cornaline. Will not be coming back, food is fire tho read more

I've wanted to try lunch at the Salty Nut Cafe since seeing their lunch specials show up as an ad in the Free Times a couple weeks/months back, but some of the reviews here had me a little hesitant. I wanted to go on a Thursday for JD's Chicken Gravy Melt (I think that's what it was called...), so today I decided to pull the trigger and got a few of the fellas from work to join me. Maybe it was my hesitation that had me going in with low expectations, or maybe it was the food on its own merit, but we all had a pleasant experience. Yes, there was a small bit of a wait, but there were 5 of us, 3 of which had the special and 1 who had a burger to order. It really wasn't *that* bad, as we were in and out in an hour, which is about average for a group of us. And, man, I was surprised at how big my entree was! That was one big chicken breast (No wonder there was a wait!) and it was sandwiched between *two* slices of Texas toast, not one as the description implied. There was plenty of gravy to go around, too, which made me a happy feller... ;c) For this, a side *and* a drink, we thought it was a pretty good deal for $6.99. Actually, all 3 of us got the beer battered onion rings as our side, so it was an extra dollar (same if you choose mozzarella sticks). But still, a fair price. The entree was great, maybe needing just a bit more salt & pepper during the preparation of the gravy. It may not look like much in the picture, but I was happy with it. The onion rings were ok, and small in portion (especially considering they came with an additional cost). They were also cool when we got them, which was the only complaint about the meal I heard from anyone, but they were probably pulled before our meals were completely ready. Not an issue big enough to dock them any points. The angle of approach in getting in and out might be tricky for some. I didn't have any problems, but we watched the Budweiser truck drop their driveshaft trying to get out... What made getting out tricky was the proximity to a traffic light. read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

By far my favorite place in Columbia! Great drink prices & the food is delicious! The service is always top notch & they've got the best deck in 5 points. 10/10. read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - a loaded nacho - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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I'm giving it zero stars because they discontinued the veggie burger and now my friend and I can't come to our favorite place anymore

Went back today for lunch again. I ordered the nachos sans chili and the mozzarella sticks. The mozz sticks came out piping hot and great, I couldn't eat them fast enough and after 15 minutes the cheese was hard and cold. The marinara dipping sauce is really good. The nachos were a waste of my money. They used shredded, processed cheese that wasn't even melted! I also only had a few scraggly pieces of it. So basically I just had chips with lettuce, tomatoes and jalapenos. I asked for some salsa but I didn't enjoy that either. It was like a chip salad or something. No bueno!! read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - Chip salad. - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

So nachos come w no cheese and a head of lettuce counts as a chip? Confused? So am I. The 2 stars are only because of the ~vibes~ read more

Loves the chicken wrap and cheese sticks. The pitchers of captain and diet were awesome! Great food, great drinks and a great time! Go cocks!! read more

It's usually ok but today I definitely felt unwelcome. I ordered a margarita pitcher and poured my girl and myself each 1 plastic party cup and there was nothing but 3/4 of ice left in the pitcher. I ordered some sweet potato fries before I poured the drinks but did not stay to receive them. Once I told the server about the pitcher of ice he just shrugged his shoulders as if I was lucky to be seated. The manager came out to void my transaction (really just to take the fries off the order because I still paid for "ice" and margarita mix (I think it was a baby shot and country time lemonade powder in the pitcher) and did not such as make eye contact with me or anything. I shouldn't of even paid for that but how dare I skip out on a crappy drink and not pay,right? I feel like they were being weird because I'm black and my girl is white and they were just being $h!++¥. We left and went to Taco Time on garners ferry and it was great. The college guy that "served" us sucks and actually made me not want to ever come there again read more

Absolute SHIT food. Never order food from this place. Drinks are fine bur bartenders suck. Not sure how this is a hit read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - Charcoal burger - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Salty Nut is your quintessential college bar in 5 Points! Great indoor and outdoor seating, good drinks, and reasonably priced bar food like burgers, wraps, sandwiches, and a pretty wide selection of shareable plates. They get pretty packed on weekends, particularly in the warmer months! The food and drinks are great, but my biggest issue is with the staff. On slow weekdays it seems like there are plenty of severs nearby just hanging around but on busy weekend days they might only have 1 or 2 serves frantically running around. Wish they would have a more consistent group because on busy days your server might go missing for long stretches! All in all a great spot for a bite to eat or a night out. read more

Mark served us well, definitely the saltiest nuts in all of columbia

I had a horrible experience here. Got to the restaurant when they first opened, ordered drinks and food, got the drinks and was waiting for over an hour before our server approached our table again when she legitimately looked at me and said "what would you like instead of the wings?" with no other explanation . When asked if our food had been made yet she replied "no they just started" so we gladly left and was given no apology for the lack of service. I wouldn't treat a leper the way we were treated, unreal. Honestly hilarious. Go here if you wanna starve and sit around for hours with hot iced tea. read more

Salty Nut is my everything. My best friend moved to Columbia from Ohio some 10 years ago, and Salty Nut has been a staple of my visits. I love that nothing really has changed over that time period as well. This is the perfect place to grab some beers and cheesy tots with good friends and waste an afternoon. Is the service just okay? Yes. Is the food just alright? Yeah. Did the bar somehow likely mix The Blue Moon keg with the Shock Top keg? You betcha. It's more about the ambiance and vibe. You can loose hours just hanging out, telling stories, curing your hangover and reliving the night before. We actually cut our flight out of Charlotte close because we didn't want to leave Salty Nut! read more

after leaving salty nut, after their bouncers deneied 4 actual 21 year olds, the bouncers continued to yell and pester me and my friends as we were waiting for our ride. really showed how little they care about their costumers, and about people in general. do not recommend if u are looking for a chill place to hang out with ur friends read more

Wow! Stopped in to get a quick bite . Best chicken fingers and fries ever. Both homemade with HUGE portions. They have a new chef and he told us some of his secrets for great bar food. read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Sandwiches so dank. Side salads have everything. Best Coke in town. Do not do anything buffalo chicken though haha pretty greasy read more

The Salty Nut Cafe - American Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Hope you like nuts... The Salty Nut is the epitome of casual. The floor is covered in peanut shells, and the majority of the clientele is college-aged. Despite the lack of class, the place is relatively clean, and offers a decent vegetarian selection, including a veggie burger and wrap. I recommend a side of spicy raw fries (somewhere in between fries and chips) with vinegar. This would be a great place for a group, though the beer is not quite as cold as it should be. Free parking! read more

Ate here recently based on reviews. The food was okay, not bad. Lots of fried foods but that's okay. I enjoyed the chicken fingers and tater tops and I really enjoyed all of the sauces! My boyfriend loved his buffalo chicken! Not 5 stars because we had to clean our own table off and the service was not good because we barely seen our waitress and we were there almost 2 hours. read more